We have arrived at the coldest day of the year thus far, and the only thing to do is light a candle, do a flame dance, and pray that it all keeps you warm. This is the time for frozen pipes and frozen ears and noses, and suddenly a mask mandate doesn’t feel so awful when you’re outside making your world today takes everything you’ve got… a run-on sentence that segues into the ‘Cheers’ theme is not quite I had in mind when crafting this post, but the blog will take us where it wants to go. (Insert incorrect sitcom theme song link here.) Back on the hygge track, as hygge is what I’m hoping sees us through these brittle days, even if I’m due in the office and all I will have is a chunky cardigan and Tibetan wool blanket between me and a drafty window. My my my… I just wrote ‘My, my, my’ as if I’m someone’s grandmother… whoopsie daisy!
Refocusing on the original intent of this post, which is to provide a little flame of warmth on this brutally frigid morning, and a sliver of hope in the idea of hygge. If you can hunker down in a nest of cozy blankets and pillows, by all means do that. If you can’t, try to slip into something warm and fuzzy, like a sweater or chunky knit scarf. Failing that, perhaps you can find solace and comfort in a cup of hot chocolate or steaming tea. And if that isn’t possible, maybe you can find the spirit of hygge and hold it in your head and heart, taking a few deep breaths no matter where you might find yourself.
I don’t know – I am out of practical suggestions so maybe this post is a bit of a failure.
As for me, though I have a full day in the office ahead, I will eventually return home, and while it will be dark when I make my way into the warm comfort of our house, there will be the chance to light a few candles, put on a kettle of tea, and unwind in a moment of decompression. Andy will be watching the news in the den, the comforting drone of muted noise and the occasional ruffling of a grocery list will be its own form of music. I may meditate then, to ease the transition of the day, or I may save it for right before bed, as I’ve done of late, to set a peaceful tone for sleep.
This is winter. We make our way in shuffling steps, guarding against the cold outside by making things cozier inside. This is hygge.
